Ashley Judd talks about what #MeToo movement means for her

American actress Ashley Judd gestures as she speaks during a conference about the violence of prostitution in Paris, France. She has become a symbol of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, abuse and other wrongdoing by powerful men.(Photo: Michel Euler, AP)

It took a run on Peach Hollow Road in Leiper's Fork before Ashley Judd decided to tell her story of sexual harassment from Harvey Weinstein to The New York Times.

Her decision, along with others, helped fuel the #MeToo movement, a national conversation about personal experiences with sexual assault. Judd shared her experiences Saturday night at the Sexual Assault Center of Middle Tennessee Mad Hatter dinner, the nonprofit's biggest fundraiser of the year to help local victims.

"We can start to take that journey to becoming an empowered survivor and can advocate for others," Judd said. "We can reclaim our joy. This is a radical community of healing. This is national model in our beloved not-so-little town anymore."

What happened to Judd

Ultimately, Judd told The New York Times that Weinstein greeted her in a bathrobe in a hotel room during a business meeting in the late 1990s and asked if she would give him a massage or watch him take a shower.

That accusation sparked several other stars to go public with their own allegations against Weinstein, and that snowballed into the #MeToo movement where women and some men disclosed that they, too, had been subjected to sexual assault or harassment.

Prior, Judd said she had been raped during her teens and molested as a child.

"My ringing question when I was growing up is, 'Where is everybody?'" she said. "There are girls in Williamson County having a different outcome than I had because of this center."

About the Sexual Assault Center of Middle Tennessee

The Sexual Assault Center of Middle Tennessee started in 1978.

The fundraiser collected money to assist Nashville victims of rape and sexual assault, regardless of their ability to pay. Most recently, the center started a free clinic providing a free forensic medical exam, also known as a rape kit, for anyone age 16 and older.

Currently, the sexual assault center has a wait list of more than 100 people, four of which are children, organizers said.

Brad Schmitt contributed to this report.

Reach Emily West at erwest@tennessean.com or 615-613-1380 and on Twitter at @emwest22.